Police in Watertown, Wisconsin believe that an attempt to imitate Halo may have played a role in the death of an 11-year-old boy from an accidental gunshot.

As reported by the Watertown Daily Times, Joshua Nimm apparently took the day off from school to do some gaming:

[Police] said it appeared... that after playing a combat video game called “Halo,” Nimm took the gun and tried to recreate some of the things that had occurred in the game. With an automatic rifle, [Sgt.] Lee said there can sometimes be confusion over whether it contains a magazine or not, and this confusion likely led to Nimm's death.

“He took the magazine out and forgot to eject a round that was in the chamber. He probably thought the gun was unloaded,” Lee said.

I'm glad I live in a place where you need an actual good reason to own a firearm (ie: Proffesional shooter who does competitions and stuff).

Ok, so the parents bought this kid his won gun. Did they make sure he was responsible enough first? Did they teach him all the proper procedures and stuff before they bought it for him? Is this the parent's fault or did the kid just forget one of the steps in making a gun safe? I can't judge.

Also, I don't think 11 is old enough to have your own gun. I mean, you could shoot guns down at the range or something, but OWNING YOUR OWN GUN?!?!

Ok, obviously this has a few of you guys riled up. Good arguments from both sides, but ultimately, we don't know how much gun safety training this young man had.

I think the main reason for these tragedies is the curiosity of the unknown. Parents who feel like they need to keep their children away from guns at all costs and never let their child see one. This is not a good idea.

When I was about eight years old, my dad took me into the woods with a shotgun, put up a target, and told me to shoot it. I did, and the resulting blast and kick nearly knocked me down. The shotgun had decimated the target. I'll never forget his words, "See son, if you ever accidentally shot me or your brother, or anyone else, that's what it would do to them," he said, pointing at the destroyed target, "it would kill them."

From that day forward I never once questioned the power of guns or was even remotely curious about their power. I learned to respect them, and to this day I keep the gun pointed at the ground, safety on, finger off the trigger, even if I know it is unloaded.

Every parent should do for their child what my dad did for me, and we would see a lot less of these tragedies.

MA, While I get your argument, I just thought I would point out, guns are designed with shooting at people in mind, the very reason for their creation in the first place was so that people could kill each other at a distance, whereas cars are built with a good purpose in mind, allowing people to get from place to place, chainsaws, though they have been used in some terrible crimes, the creators likely didn't think "oh this will be a good tool for chopping up people I don't like!" Guns however, they are there with only one real purpose.

I am not for or against gun control myself, as I think everyone should have the right to choose, if they have earned it, but I have seen loads of rhetoric coming from both sides, but in all honesty, it is how people choose to use the implement that is the risk, with guns, there are only 3 real choices when using one:

1:shoot that person

2:Dont shoot that person

3: Pistol whip him!

With that in mind, I have to say that while people will blame spoons for making Rosie Donnell fat and videogames for crimes, guns are a different issue entirely.

Right now that is all I have to say on the issue, but please, I really hate the shifting blame from the anti GC crowd, just as much as I dislike the pro GC crowds rhetoric.

"I'm really curious, I've never been able to understand this, why do people want to have guns for in the first place? Why aren't pelet guns enough fun? What's so terrible about banning something so fatal? is it just the principle? shouldn't we be more concerned with saving lives rather than principles?

I feel for the parents man... as stupid as I'm sure they are, that's a hard lesson to learn."

This is typical ignorance from the pro-gun control crowd. Hey lets ban automobiles since more people are killed in those every year then firearms, bikes should be good enough and they are move enviromentally friendly! How about banning matches, lighters, knives, chainsaws, and just about everything else that could potentially be dangerous. And like a typical anti-gun person you assume that everyone who owns a gun does so because they think guns are "fun". Maybe some of us would prefer not to be left at the mercy of some lunatic that breaks into our house. And don't give me that bullshit about how unlikely it is for that to happen. That's what everyone says until it happens to them.

@ Erik

Again I never said that people should be allowed to keep thier guns unlocked and easily accesible to children, even if this kid was taught some gun safety he wasn't taught it well enough. Maybe his parents should have given him a demonstration of what that rifle can do using a paper target or some other object or maybe showing the kid an article similar to this one. He obviously wasn't taught proper gun safety and again the problem here is the parents failed to do that, the problem is not the gun but the two idiots who left it out in the open and failed to teach their kid proper safety.

All i did is ask questions, I didn't even make a single statement other than "I feel for the parents". If you're reacting so defensively and emotionally you won't make your point so well dude. I'm not pro/con anything gun related. I'm just curious, and the only thing you answered is that it is in fact all about principles and some weird emotional momentum behind this whole gun control topic. Sad.

I'm really curious, I've never been able to understand this, why do people want to have guns for in the first place? Why aren't pelet guns enough fun? What's so terrible about banning something so fatal? is it just the principle? shouldn't we be more concerned with saving lives rather than principles?

I feel for the parents man... as stupid as I'm sure they are, that's a hard lesson to learn.

I agree completely. I am appalled at the insults being thrown at these parents. It is a horrific tragedy that no one should have to live through. I also was looking for information online and stumbled upon this. I hope people find it in their hearts to have some empathy for those who will struggle through the day now without this precious young man. I have never known anyone who cherished every minute of their child like his mom did. He was her everything. I hope his parents and other loved ones will not have to suffer through this stupid slaughter online. They have truly been through enough.

I happen to be good friends with the parents, whom obviously none of you know or none of this rediculous bull shit would be written. The truth is terrible accidents happen all the time. People are killed by people driving drunk for the 7th time. You could die from contaminated food in a restaraunt. You could be murdered by some psychopath. A bus might not see you and run you over. Is everything in life due to bad parenting? Give me a break. A parents responsibility is to teach their children right from wrong and hope that they make good decisions. Parents don't however have the ability to control them. There is no way to know from reading a two paragraph article the family's love for this boy or the circumstances of the day or anything about the gun. Even the most stellar individuals have tragic things happen to them. It is really a shame that there is even the ability to read any of this crap. Very supportive! Can't say anything nice, shut the fuck up. It is my hope that all of the shitty, single minded individuals that wrote such garbage don't ever have to deal with such a horrific event to find out just how easy it can happen. Perhaps find a hobby for yourself instead of bashing someone loss.

Erik comparing drugs to guns isn't a good comparison because most parents don't have cocaine lying around the house for thier kids to use unsupervised. You also completely failed to answer my previous point, why don't we have more cases of kids being injured by matches or knives? Why because we teach them that they are not toys and can cause injury if used improperly. We need to teach our kids the same about guns, even if you don't have one in the house. Yes parents need to lock up their guns, but they also need to teach thier kids proper safety and how the gun works, and even if you don't own a firearm, you should teach your kid the following if they ever find a gun

"why don't we have more cases of kids being injured by matches or knives?"

We have plenty of these actually. But for one they aren't as interesting generally to the media. And secondly firearms are much more effective in causing harm. Generally if a child plays with a book of matches or a knife for the most part there is a good, or at least better, chance the child would be unharmed. You may as well ask why the armed forces don't carry books of matches in lieu of firearms.

And the point still remains that you can teach a child to you are blue in the face. In fact for all we know this kid WAS taught gun safety. This falls under the category of leading a horse to water but being unable to make it drink. In some magical Charelton Heston utopia you would teach children gun saftey and then could leave your firearms laying about, comfortable in the knowledge that your lessons are impossible to defy. But ultimately, kids are dumb.

Erik incidents like this WOULD NOT HAPPEN, if we taught our kids proper gun safety. How many stories do we hear about kids injuring or killing themselves with matches or knives? Not many because we teach our kids not to play with those and that they are not toys. The reason why we hear about so many accidents like this is because of irresponsible people who don't teach thier kids gun safety because they try to force this politically correct worldview that guns are evil, which never works because kids espicially boys are attracted to that sort of thing. If we taught our kids proper gun safety than we would not see this happening. Guns are not the problem, it's irresponsible people who own guns.

"Erik incidents like this WOULD NOT HAPPEN, if we taught our kids proper gun safety."

Uh-huh. Yeah right. You mean like how there is no more drug use by minors because of programs like D.A.R.E.

Oh wait, that is wrong. Drug use is still quite a booming industry. Just because you teach someone something doesn't mean they are going to use it. So saying that a situation like this would NOT happen is a total fabrication. The form of responsibility from these gun owners should have been better storage.

So once again: Guns are dangerous. I know you forsee a NRA utopian future where people leave their guns laying around their house like diry laundry and yet no one becomes injured because everyone has learned gun saftey and everyone follows the rules all the time. But back in the real world we realize that even with teaching such saftey kids aren't know for great decision making. Otherwise, you know, they wouldn't need parents to shoulder that responsibility for them.

I just wanted to point out something a lot of people seem to be missing:

“The child was getting ready for school and decided to skip school. He was playing video games and we found out he had a .22 caliber rifle that belongs to him. He had access to the rifle and a magazine was kept somewhere else by his parents. He was familiar with the rifle and had been shooting it a couple of times a month - he lived out in the country, so that was nothing unusual.”

The gun belonged to the kid. I want to know what kind of family GIVES an 11 year old a .22.

You know, it said in the article that the gun was specifically the kid's, that while he owned the gun, his parents kept the magazine and ammo seperately, but he still found it... so really whether you're really for gun control or not, you may not really want an 11 year old kid having that kind of access. Gun control or not, this was a child, so his gun rights aren't really an issue. Though I'd like to think that by the age of 11, most get that playing around with a loaded gun is bad. I'm pretty sure video games aren't going to change that. Besides, the mention of Halo just sounds more like media spin than any actual acusations.

Wow, the kid should have known better.... Even if the parents had kept the gun locked up, i'm sure he would have found the key anyway.... So the parents are not 100% to blame. We keep guns around the house , but granted we are much older, and we know good and well what damage a gun can do....The kid should have known, and the parents should have demonstrated what it can do.

Blaming lack of gun control is a cheap cop out, don't use it. All the technology in the world won't stop someone who is dead-set on using a gun. Trigger locks can be unlocked, and ammo can be found, or bought.

Gun control is in the hands of gun owners and users, not the ignorant, and sometimes functionally retarded, gun control advocates who have never even touched a firearm.

It sad when stuff like this happens and you people decide to flame the kid..... Show some friggin' decency will ya?

Geeze the kid died...... It don't mater who is at fault now, whether it's the kid, the dad, or Bill Cosby; it still doesn't change the fact that the kid is still dead.

I think the parents have been through enough, their punishment is having to live with the mistake they made and their son made.The blame doesn't lie with the parent, it lies with the kid. He was irresponsible with a deadly firearm, and was killed by it. The kid pulled the trigger, not the parents.

'All the technology in the world won't stop someone who is dead-set on using a gun'

yeah.. but thats the point. Gun control wouldnt stop the 1 in a hundred people who are dead set on using a gun, but it would stop the other 99, who were using the gun to 'play' or fool around with. Had no guns been in the house, this WOULD NOT have happened. fact.

There are numerous ways to ensure that wouldn't have happened that don't involve banning the guns from the parents so why settle on that one?

----------------------------------------------------
Debates are like merry go rounds.
Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

"Lee said it appeared, following the department's investigation, that after playing a combat video game called “Halo,” Nimm took the gun and tried to recreate some of the things that had occurred in the game."

2.) It didn't use an intermediate calibered cartridge, there-by not meeting the requirements of being an "assault rifle", especially in conjunction with #1.

3.) Automatic is another term for self-loading, or "Semi-auto". Both semi and full auto weapons are not illegal in the U.S. Machineguns just have more stringent requirements for ownership and have to be registered with the ATF.

Actually, no. In this case guns are the problem. Now before you get your Charleston Heston underoos in a twist I'm not suggeting that guns should be banned. But we should not forget that guns ARE dangerous. That fact seems to be forgotten by many of those who try to draw a parallel between game and gun legislation. As firearms ownership is a constitutionally given right they should not and cannot be banned. Despite tragic situations such as this one, the benefits of firearms still greatly outweigh the costs. That may sound callous but one need only look at a history book to find out what a government has planned when they try to prohibit the people from being able to protect themselves.

Responsible gun owners should not lose their rights because of this kid's parents. But those parents should lose their right for damn sure. But saying they aren't the problem, don't be so naive to how dangerous they can be.

Erik I agree that the gun should have been locked up or unloaded but the problem is so many people who are in favor of gun control cite incidents like this as the reason why we need to ban guns and I'm sick of it. Anyone who has a child and owns a firearm of any kind should teach thier child proper respect and handling of firearms in the same way we teach our kids not to play with knives or matches. In fact even if you don't own a firearm you should teach your kid proper gun safety in case they go to a friend's house where there is a firearm that could be accessed by the child.

ya this is retarded. its sad it happend, but like someone else said why the hell have a gun around a kid anyways? especially if you know they play shooting games and/or have no common sense or guidance from their parents.

My dad target shoots and collects antique military firearms. When not in use, he keeps all his rifles chained together through the trigger guards with 1/4" gauge chain in bundles of ten, and locked together would good padlocks (since he hasn't found a safe dealer willing to manhandle a 3000lb gun safe down his basement stairs), and when going on long trips he removes the bolts and stores them in the small safe with the handguns. Ammunition is kept under lock and key. That's an acceptable level of safety, I think, though different standards apply for self-defense weapons, of course.

Shout box

Infophile: @Matt: Apparently Dan Aykroyd actually is involved. We don't know how yet, though, but he's apparently going to be in the movie in some way.08/02/2015 - 4:17am

Mattsworkname: I still hold that not having the origonal cast invovled in any way hurts this movie, and unless the 4 actresses in the lead roles can some how measure up to the comic timing of the origonal cast, i just don't see it being a success08/02/2015 - 12:46am

Mattsworkname: Mecha: regardless of what you think of it, GB 2 was a finanical success and for it time did well with audiances ,even if it wasnt as popular as the first08/02/2015 - 12:45am

MechaTama31: I think they're better off trying to do something different, than trying to be exactly the same and having every little difference held up as a shortcoming. Uncanny valley.08/01/2015 - 11:57pm

MechaTama31: Having the original cast didn't do much for... that pink-slimed atrocity which we must never speak of.08/01/2015 - 11:56pm

Mattsworkname: Andrew: If the new ghostbusters bombs, I cant help but feel it'll be cause it removed the origonal cast and changed the formula to much08/01/2015 - 8:31pm

Andrew Eisen: Not the best look but that appears to be a PKE meter hanging from McCarthy's belt.08/01/2015 - 7:34pm

Mattsworkname: You know what game is a lot of fun? rocket league. It' s a soccer game thats actually fun to play cause your A Freaking CAR!08/01/2015 - 7:02pm

Mattsworkname: Nomad colossus did a little video about it, showing the world and what can be explored in it's current form. It's worth a look, and he uses text for commentary as not to break the immerison08/01/2015 - 5:49pm

Mattsworkname: I feel some more mobility would have made it more interesting and I feel that a larger more diverse landscape with better graphiscs would help, but as a concept, it interests me08/01/2015 - 5:48pm

Andrew Eisen: Huh. I guess I'll have to check out a Let's Play to get a sense of the game.08/01/2015 - 5:47pm

Mattsworkname: It did, I found the idea of exploring a world at it's end, exploring the abandoned city of a disappeared alien race and the planets various knooks and crannies intriqued me.08/01/2015 - 5:46pm

Andrew Eisen: Did it appeal to you? If so, what did you find appealing?08/01/2015 - 5:43pm

Mattsworkname: Its an interesting concept, but it's not gonna appeal to everyone thats for sure,08/01/2015 - 5:40pm

Andrew Eisen: That sounds horrifically boring. Doesn't sound like an interesting use of its time dilation premise either. 08/01/2015 - 5:36pm

Mattsworkname: an observer , seeing this sorta frozen world and being able to explore without any restriction other then time. no enimes, no threats, just the chance to explore08/01/2015 - 5:34pm